What the hell?
by nobody1029
Summary: *A/N: NOT A NEW CHAPTER* SLASH!!! Eventual DM/HP A misunderstanding, a weird start to a weird friendship...
1. Wrongly Confessed vs Wrongly Rejected

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue…please?

Pairing: Eventual Draco/Harry…

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**What the hell…??**

Chapter 1: Wrongly Confessed vs. Wrongly Rejected

The cool night breeze swept across the Hogwarts corridor in a late September night. Harry Potter, hiding under his invisibility cloak, was taking a midnight stroll, which, he decided about twenty minutes ago, might be able to cure his sudden attack of insomnia this night. He realized that he actually didn't need to bring the cloak because ever since the fall of Voldemort at the end of sixth year, the school rules were not as strict as before. So if he was, indeed, caught, the punishment wouldn't be anything severe, if there was any punishment at all.

Harry brought it, nonetheless, to avoid any unwanted confrontation if he was seen, and most of all, he didn't want to be disturbed. But Harry knew it was a habit more than anything. His father's invaluable cloak had followed Harry for almost seven years. It provided him a sense of security and privacy in a world where those were scarce for the Boy-Who-Lived.

As Harry turned a corner, he realized his mindless wanderings had led him to the dungeons near the Potions master's private chambers. So he was less that surprised when he saw Professor Snape, his least favorite teacher, appeared and walked right pass him. Harry stood very still and held his breath as the professor glided pass, for fear that the alert teacher might notice his presence. 

Harry was a little shocked, however, when he saw another figure not far behind the professor. The figure tiptoed closer to the unsuspecting Potions master, and Harry noticed that he was none other than Draco Malfoy, the prince of brats from Harry's rival house. But what Harry saw next stunned him to the core. He stared wide-eyed as Draco Malfoy turned his head around as if to check if anybody else was there, and when he was satisfied with what he saw, he smiled mischievously, and shouted, "SEV!" while simultaneously jumping on the professor's back like a little child demanding a piggyback ride.

Harry's jaw dropped as the professor calmly turned to regard his favorite student with a kind smile on his face.

"Draco, will you ever grow tired of that? I knew you were following me since the prefects' bathroom!" 

"You could've at least pretended you didn't know," said Malfoy, sliding down from the professor's back with a little pout. 

"So, how was patrolling tonight? Anything interesting?" asked Snape leisurely as his student walked alongside him towards his chambers. Malfoy was one of the seventh year Slytherin prefects, and one of the prefects' duties was to patrol the school grounds at night. Harry was the Gryffindor prefect, along with Hermione.

"Same as usual, boring as hell!" Malfoy replied without a thought.

"So I see you weren't patrolling with your crush tonight then," said Snape teasingly. 

Malfoy didn't reply, but, instead, lowered his head slightly, attempting to hide his blush. Snape smirked. Harry blinked.

"You still haven't told me who he is yet. And here I thought that you would trust me, your godfather and your head of house, enough to divulge your secret," said Snape in a hurt and sullen tone, which would be very convincing if not for his smirking face, which Malfoy conveniently missed since his eyes were glued to the dirty, yet ever-so-interesting, floor.

They had reached their destination, and with a murmured password from Snape, the door swung open and they entered.

"Oh alright, I'll tell you," Malfoy said, looking up and pointing his finger in front of Snape's face, his tone threatening, his eyes dark and determined. "But if you tell anyone about this, I swear I'll rip your head out. I don't care if you're my godfather and my head of house!"

Snape nodded carelessly as if being threatened by his godson was a very common occurrence.

The last thing Harry heard before the door slowly swung shut was a soft whisper of Malfoy's muffled voice, "It's 'arry…" and the rest was lost behind the thick dungeon walls.

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Contrary to Harry's hypothesis, midnight strolls did not help him sleep at all. If anything, it had only worsen his original problem. Harry suspected it might even have had seriously damaged his mental health.

Harry didn't know how he managed to return to the Gryffindor towers in that state of mind. He was confused as hell! Millions of questions swam through his head as he lay in bed later that night. 

_Did I just overhear the most bizarre conversation between the annoying git, Draco Malfoy, and the sadistic bastard, Severus Snape? Are they godfather and godson? Was Snape actually being nice and, ewww, smiling?_ Harry shuddered at the eerie, yet surreal memory of this night's ordeal. He was strategically avoiding the most disturbing revelation of all, but before he finally shut his eyes and drifted off to dreamland, he silently asked himself, _Is Draco Malfoy crushing on some guy? And is that guy…ME?_

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *

The next morning found the hero of the wizarding world looking like he hadn't slept for days. With his black, unruly hair even messier than normal and huge bags under his eyes, Harry had spent his whole breakfast-eating time staring off blankly into space. But upon closer inspection, one could see that he wasn't staring into space. Not exactly. He was staring at the space currently occupied by one Draco Malfoy.

Of course Ron and Hermione noticed the stressful looks of their friend, and they did spare a moment between their kisses and cuddles to inquire Harry about it, but Harry, determined not to worry his friends, insisted that he was fine, just a bit tired due to lack of sleep. They suspected something more, but decided not to press the matter further, and retreated back to their snogging.

Over the next week, Harry had spent a lot more time observing Malfoy. Anytime they shared a class, or at the Great Hall at meal times, or even just walking past each other in the halls, Harry would send suspicious and calculating looks at Draco Malfoy, as if he was trying to dissect the Slytherin's brains with his eyes. He tried looking for little clues that could prove what he heard that night was true, or if it was just Harry's overactive imagination.

The Slytherin's reciprocating stares didn't help much either. One time during lunch, Harry had a peculiar feeling that someone was watching him. When he looked up, he was met with a pair of translucent silver eyes that were immediately diverted to something else. That was not the only time that had happened either. This little exchange had repeated itself more and more often lately, and Harry could swore that, once, the blonde was blushing when he looked away.

Harry had also noticed that the insults that used to come from Malfoy and his gang had disappeared, as if he didn't want to fight anymore. He didn't remember when this had started, so he consulted his best friends to see if they had noticed the lack of animosity from the Slytherin. He didn't know how to react, however, when Ron and Hermione asked him why Harry had suddenly taken interest in such a trivial matter, and told him that Malfoy hadn't picked a fight ever since their sixth year. Hermione had speculated that it was because the on-going war had forced Malfoy to grow up and abandon stupid house rivalries, but Ron insisted that the change was due to the sudden realization of the Gryffindors' immerse strength and power that intimidated the Slytherins. However, Harry suspected that it was something else entirely different that triggered the change.

It seemed clearer and clearer to Harry that what he heard was true. Draco Malfoy did have a crush on him.

_Shit! What am I going to do?_

Even if they didn't fight anymore, Harry still dislike the git. He was still that little bugger that insulted his friends, cheated in Quidditch, framed Buckbeak, and leaked information to that Skeeter woman.

So what if Malfoy had beautiful eyes and silky hair that practically glowed under the sun? So what if his body was slender and delicate and lithe and hot in his Quidditch robes, and in his school robes, and in his dress robes? _He's still that insufferable prick I hated… hate!_

And so, Harry decided from then on, he would avoid the blonde as much as possible. He would not give him a chance to try anything on him. He would go on as if nothing happened, as if he hadn't found out his little secret. _Yes, that's it… nothing happened. Nobody likes me… nobody has a secret crush on me… Everything's normal._

At the first day that Harry's plan of 'Avoid Malfoy' was put into action, he had patrol duty. 

With Draco Malfoy. 

Harry groaned. 

As Harry was busy berating himself for his stupidity and inability to create a plan that was actually feasible for more than one day, Malfoy silently approached the Gryffindor from behind. Harry let out a surprised yelp and stumbled backwards from Malfoy as he poked him to get his attention.

"Oh my God… don't creep up on people like that…" Harry put his hand on his chest, trying to soothe his wildly beating heart.

"Scared, Potter?" asked Malfoy, smirking.

"N-no. Let's get started. I don't want to be here with you all night."

Harry saw Malfoy's mouth twitched a little and he braced himself for a sarcastic retort of some sort, but it never came. Malfoy just shook his head slightly and looked away.

They walked around the grounds in an awkward silence. Harry noticed from the corner of his eyes that Malfoy was occasionally stealing glances at him and biting his lips as if he was nervous about something.

From Malfoy's expression, Harry knew that he wanted to ask him something. He both dreaded and anticipated the moment when Malfoy would finally crack and say whatever it was he wanted to say. But after two rounds of patrolling, he still hadn't said anything, and Harry felt like he was going to suffocate from the tension between them.

Finally, when they finished their patrolling, Malfoy turned to face Harry and asked, "Potter… Harry, do you have time Friday night?"

Although Harry had expected this somehow, but it still made him nervous all the same. 

_Shit, he finally asked, what should I do, what should I do? Laugh at his face and say something cruel… No, that's just… cruel… just… reject him… Yes… let him down easy… wouldn't want him to hate me again…_

"Look, Malfoy… Draco… I…" Harry took a deep breath and tore his eyes away from Malfoy's penetrating gaze before continuing, "I'm flattened, really, but I don't… you know… feel that way about you…" Harry started pacing around in the middle of the corridor. "It's not you though, I mean, it's just that… we don't know each other very well, and we've spent five years fighting… And it's not because you are a boy, I mean, I had no problem with that, I'm not homophobic or anything… and I think you are one of the most beautiful person I've ever seen… but I… I… just don't feel that way…" Harry risked a glance at Malfoy's face, and he trailed off upon seeing his confused expression.

"Wait, hang on, what are you talking about? I only asked if you have time… oh… Ohhhhhh!" Malfoy's slight frown turned into an amused smirk as realization slapped him in the face. "You thought… you thought I was asking you out?" At this, Malfoy couldn't hold his amusement any longer and burst out in hysterical laughter.

"You… you weren't?" he asked dumbly. Harry suddenly had a weird sense of foreboding as Malfoy, laughing uncontrollably, leaned on the wall helplessly to prevent himself from falling onto the floor. 

"Of course… not… What makes you… think that?" he asked. Words came out in bits as he tried to speak and laugh at the same time.

"B-but, you told Snape last week… that you have a crush… on me?" said Harry, with the last two words came out only barely louder than a whisper. He was feeling stupider and stupider by the minute.

"What are you… talking about?" asked Malfoy, while snickering incessantly with his waist bent and hands on his stomache.

"Last Friday, after you patrolled and met Snape in the dungeons, he asked you who your crush is, and you said, 'It's Harry…'" Harry didn't know why he was still there explaining this to Malfoy. This was turning out to be the most humiliating experience of his life. Right now, all Harry wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"I said, 'It's TERRY!' Not HARRY! You know, that really cute Ravenclaw Head Boy Terry Boot?" Malfoy's laughter had lessen slightly and he managed to speak a whole sentence without choking on his words, but his back was still leaning on the wall for support. 

Harry's jaw dropped to the floor. He could feel heat rising steadily from his stomach to his cheeks and sweat forming in his palms. He silently wished that Voldemort could come back to life and kill him right about now. When he realized that his wish was not likely to be granted, he proceeded to hit his head on the wall.

"Shit, I shouldn't have told you that…" Malfoy murmured as he suddenly realized he had blurted out his secret, but he decided that the look on Harry's face was worth it as he resumed to laughing his brains out.

Both prefects didn't speak for a while. One continued snickering until tears were appearing at the corner of his eyes, and the other kept thumping his head on the innocent wall until he suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a minute," Harry said, and turned to Malfoy, "why were you asking me if I had time Friday night then?"

"Oh yes, that reminds me…" Malfoy wiped his tears away and stood up with, Harry noticed grudgingly, a wide grin still plastered on his face. "I've been meaning to ask you the whole week, can you exchange patrolling shifts with me this Friday night?"

A brief moment of silence.

"That's it? That's what you wanted to ask me?" 

Malfoy snorted at Harry's incredulous look and nodded, "Umhum."

"Why do you want me to change with you?" By now, Harry was just looking for something, anything, to say to stop Malfoy from laughing anymore.

And he did stop at hearing the question. Malfoy seemed to have a mental conflict with himself before finally deciding to tell Harry. He blushed a little before saying, "Umm, Lisa Turpin is having a birthday party Friday night, and Terry invited me to go. But I had to exchange patrol shifts with someone first. I asked McGonagall, and she said if I could find someone willing to change, than it'd be alright with her. The only prefects who aren't on duties that night are Lisa, Terry, Susan Bones and you. But Bones had to serve detention with Snape that night, so… it leaves you."

Throughout the little explanation, Draco had started pacing around and fidgeting, much like Harry did a few moments ago when he was doing his own speech. Harry smirked at Malfoy's obvious discomfort. 

Harry had heard about the Ravenclaw prefect's birthday party, but he wasn't invited since he wasn't that close to the Ravenclaws. 

Malfoy was disturbed by Harry's lack of response, and he spoke again before Harry could refuse his proposition. "Look, Potter, how about we make a deal. You don't tell anyone about me liking Terry and help me out Friday, and I don't tell anyone about tonight and last week where you eavesdropped on me and Sev. Ok?" 

Harry was about to deny the accusation of eavesdropping, but he knew it would be no use. He had no choice but to agree. "Alright. I'll take your shift Friday. And tonight never happened!"

Malfoy nodded and before Harry could say anything more, he began to laugh again.

Harry frowned as if he could sense what the blonde was going to say.

"Potter… were you… trying to let me down easy? That's so sweet, _Harry_, you didn't want to hurt my feelings," Draco said in a mock grateful tone, and made a swooning gesture before bursting out in laughter again.

"If you don't stop laughing in the near future, _Draco_, I'll have to seriously reconsider whether or not I should hurt you," said Harry. He sighed distressingly and turned to leave. He couldn't wait to escape from tonight's episode.

Malfoy attempted to control his sniggers while walking away. But before he was too far away, he suddenly remembered something else and he spun around again, and said, "Harry, did you say you thought I was beautiful?"

"Oh, do shut up, Draco!" Harry was too embarrassed to turn around and face him again, so he increased his speed and hurried back to the Gryffindor tower. But he could still hear the half suppressed giggles as Draco made his way down to the dungeons.

 *          *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *

Although Harry was thoroughly exhausted, he couldn't sleep. He had spent half the night wishing that tonight didn't happen and the other half wondering if it really did happen. And in between, he would worry if Draco would keep his promise, and think of ways of killing the Slytherin if he didn't…

The next morning proved to be another stressful day for the Boy-Who-Lived. As he made his way towards the Great Hall for breakfast with Ron and Hermione, he was secretly stealing glances at the passing students, looking for any clues that anyone might know something about yesterday night. 

The walk to the Great Hall seemed to be longer than usual for Harry. He cringed at the thought of seeing Draco. For first time in his life, Harry Potter was scared of seeing Draco Malfoy.

But Fate seemed to be playing a joke on Harry that day, because as he reached the Great Hall, he was confronted with none other than Draco Malfoy himself. Both of them stopped dead at seeing each other. It seemed that Draco wasn't prepared at seeing Harry so soon too.

Other seventh year Slytherins were accompanying him, but Harry took no notice of any of them as he stared intently at Draco's eyes. Silent questioning passed through the silvers and the emeralds. _Did you tell anyone about last night? No, I didn't._

The whole school also stopped at seeing the two rivals stand off against each other. They could see Harry tensed and Draco started shaking and biting his lips as if to control his temper.

All students held their breaths, anticipating a fight to break out any minute.

Even Ron, Hermione, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were expecting a fight.

And then, Draco, who couldn't control his amusement any longer at seeing Harry's face, snorted and began another laughing fit. Harry sighed and visibly relaxed, and, as if Draco's laughter was contagious, Harry slowly started smiling too. 

Soon, the two of them were laughing like crazy in front of the Great Hall.

The students were stunned as they stared at the two idiots. Only one thought passed through their minds, _What the hell…?_

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A/N: Well? Review, please…


	2. Of Hellish Project and Nosy Hufflepuff

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue…please?

Pairing: Eventual Draco/Harry…

A/N: By the way, I haven't read OotP yet, so this story will just carry on as it is. But I'll definitely revise it after I finish the new book. If anyone wonder why I haven't read it yet, it's because I refuse to buy hard cover books!! So I had to wait till my friend finish with his book first…hehe…

Thanks to everyone who reviewed: **Innocent Victim, CrUsHeDvElVeT, James Jago, Autumsun, hpgryffin, faith, silver_elven_fox, azerty, HeartoftheDragon, Emma, paws10081**…love you all…

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**What the hell…??**

Chapter 2: Of Hellish Project and Nosy Hufflepuff

Harry had no idea why he was laughing. Maybe it was an attempt to hide his own embarrassment. Maybe it was the irony of the situation. The normally calm and poised Slytherin seeker did not routinely collapse in hysterics in front of the whole school after all. Or maybe it was just the way Draco laughed that made Harry wanted to laugh with him too.

But they both knew that years of rivalry and misunderstandings had died from that moment they first shared their laughter.

Harry and Draco staggered towards their respective tables laughing endlessly, while the rest of the school watched them in horrified fascination. 

Once securely seated and thoroughly amused by god-knows-what, Harry turned to regard the questioning gazes of his friends. Seeing that they finally had Harry's attention, Ron and Hermione and the rest of the fifth year Gryffindors then plunged into a bombardment of questions. Although what came out of their mouths were mostly consisted of jabbering that were incomprehensible to any sane human being, Harry got gist of it.

Harry shot his eyes across the hall to Draco who were in an identical situation. Draco, with a pretty smile still spread across his face, shrugged nonchalantly, and totally ignored his friends. Harry decided to follow his example, so he also shrugged offhandedly, and started stuffing his face with food and tuned out his friends' pitiful attempts at interrogation.

Harry absent-mindedly sneaked another glance at the Slytherin side. Draco was still smiling, which made Harry's lips tucked a little upward too. He noticed that Draco's smile made him looked innocent, almost shy. Draco was discreetly peeking at something. From his dazed expression and misty eyes, Harry immediately realized what, or who, he was peeking at, as he recalled the tiny piece of information he came upon yesterday night about a certain Ravenclaw. He couldn't help but set his own eyes on the Head Boy.

Although they had known each other for a few years, Harry had never really took a good look at Terry before now. Even though he was sitting down, Harry could still see that he was quite tall, maybe slightly less than a head or so taller than Harry, who was about the same height as Draco. He was also quite thin, not the athletic type, Harry supposed, but he was a Ravenclaw, so not much of a surprise there. He had tanned skin, black hair, black eyes, and a nose, and a mouth… Well, all in all, Harry concluded that Terry Boot was just a typical boy. He certainly wouldn't call him 'really cute'. A wee bit geeky too, actually. Totally unlike someone that Harry had assumed Draco would be interested in.

Harry had always imagined Draco's choice of lovers would be dependent on one's aesthetic assets mostly, if not entirely. Certainly someone from Slytherin, like Pansy or Blaise, would be a more appropriate choice, wouldn't it? Because wasn't that how any successful relationship should work? A compatible lover with whom one could share his own ideals and interests. Like Ron and Hermione.

From familiarity brewed intimacy, and from intimacy brewed love.

And speaking of brewing…it was time for Potions!

_Shit! The others left without me! I'm going to be late…_

Without another thought, Harry devoured the remaining food and shot out of the Great Hall.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

Potions was the first class for Gryffindors and Slytherin on Thursday mornings.

Harry barely made it to the Potions classroom without being late. He scowled at his friends for ditching him, but they shrugged and told him that he was too absorbed in his own little fantasy world to notice their departure.

Snape glided into the room with the usual vindictive aura that could've easily made first years wet their pants. His icy glares scanned across the room to mentally check everyone's presence. But before commercing his lesson, he eyed Harry briefly. His expression was thoughtful, yet terrifying, nonetheless. No doubt he was also curious about this morning's episode.

Throughout the lesson, Draco tactfully avoided looking over to the Gryffindors' side, especially at Harry's face, but from his tightly pressed lips and clenched fist, anyone could deduced that he was desparately trying to maintain his composure. However, his attempt was under challenge when his own Godfather deliberately paired him up with Harry for the rest of the lesson. He narrowed his eyes at his professor, who pretended he didn't noticed.

Draco sighed silently as Harry approached, still not letting his eyes travel anywhere near the vicinity of Harry's absurdingly comical face. Harry settled down beside Draco as calmly as possible, as the others watched them in a mixture of curiosity, alarm and concern, but he completely disregarded his fellow classmates's nosy tendencies. They worked rest of the class in relative peace, since both of the boys suddenly became decidedly shy and refused to speak to each other more than necessary. Harry found that Draco's unusual bashfulness was quite amusing…and somewhat adorable.

Just ten minutes before the end of class, Snape addressed the class again. "As I have said earlier this term, you will be doing a major project which will count as fifty percent of your total grade," said Snape. The class frowned, except Hermione, of course.

"The project will consist of two parts," Snape continued, "Part one: You will be given an unknown potion, which you will identify by determining its ingredients, and their quantities. You will be allowed access to the lab whenever there's no occupying class. After that, you will write a report in which you will explain in detail how you proceed with your analysis. Give evidences that will support your findings. Part two: You will do a thorough research on your identified potion, including the history and effect of your potion."

The professor didn't stop for breath until now. He paced around the room. He was satisfied and silently amused at the flabbergasted expressions of his students. He loved this part of his job. However, he was slightly disappointed when he reached one Hermione Granger, who wasn't at all fazed by his harsh requirements. Her expression could only be classified as intrigued. So with added antagonism and relentlessness, Snape continued, "I'll expect the report to be no less then thirty feet long."

He stopped again for dramatic effect, and, as anticipated, he was greeted with disgusted groans and useless whining. But amongst the complaining noises was one ecstatic expression of Hermione. Snape sighed in defeat at the annoying and unwanted enthusiasm of the working-craving Gryffindor, and finished his speech, "The project will be due at the end of this term, just before Christmas break. And you will be working with your current partner."

Harry and Draco chose this exact moment to turn to each other with an identical looks of horror. Any leftover urges from this morning to laugh, or even smile were killed by the prospect of having to do the mission impossible. Draco was first to recover from his state of stupefaction, and he went up to the potion master to retrieve their mysterious potion, which happened to be a pinkish paste with a strong garlic-like smell that was noticeable even in a closed vial.

"Well, looks like you are going to be stuck with me on this fun-filled project," said Harry, attempting to make conversation once he found his voice.

"Yes, I'm thrilled. You know how much I love you, I mean, love working with you," Draco teased.

"Okaaaaay!" Harry blushed lightly, and looked around to make sure no one heard that before turning back his attention to Draco's smirking face. "Let's talk about the project, shall we?"

"Alright," agreed Draco, who obviously considered that the project a more important issue at hand. "Let's see, we have three months to do two parts: analysis and research, which means one and half months on each part…no, wait, a little less than one and a half months, because we ought to plan extra time for revision and just in case something goes wrong…" 

Harry gaped as Draco narrowed his eyes in concentration and he was strongly reminded of some bushy-haired Head Girl he might know. 

"So we don't have much time… We should start this as soon as possible. We should arrange times to meet," the Slytherin concluded. 

They compared their schedules and found that the only time they were both available between class, quiddich practice and prefect's duties were Tuesday nights, Saturday mornings and Sundays. Since Draco refused to do any kinds of work on Sundays, they decided to meet on the other two time slots.

"By the way," Draco said just before class ended, "I already informed to McGonagall about us changing shifts. So you'll be patrolling with Justin Finch-Fletchley tomorrow night."

"Justin?"

"Yes. What's the matter? You don't like him? Oh, oh, does he have a crush on you too?" Draco whispered the last part in scandalous tone, earning a half-hearted death glare from the Gryffindor.

"No!" Harry sighed, "It's just that I'm patrolling with him tonight too. That's all."

Harry quickly left the potions classroom before Draco could make fun of him anymore. He met up with his friends, who offered Harry their sympathy for having to work with Malfoy, while, at the same time, trying to curse Professor Snape's pants off. Despite their magically training, their attempts were unsuccessful since none of them had yet to master the art of wandless magic.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

The rest of the day dragged on as the fifth year Gryffindors grumbled on and on about The Evil Project from Hell, which they affectionately dubbed, against Hermione's disapproval.

By Friday night, Hermione was so sick and tired of his housemates' constant complaining that she immediately fled from the Gryffindor tower when it was time for prefect's duties. She was surprised when she saw Harry followed her and told her that he had swapped patrolling shifts with Draco Malfoy. She, naturally, was curious, but Harry refused to tell her his reasons for willing to exchange. Hermione, being Head Girl and one of Harry's best friends, knew better than to pressure any answers from him, for which Harry was grateful, and relieved.

Hermione hadn't known about the exchange between them since she was exempted from patrolling duties. Only boys were required to preform such duties. Each night, except Sundays, two male prefects would patrol the grounds when two female prefects were assigned to other chores, such as helping the professors prepare for classes and supervising detentions, which was what Hermione had to do this night, together with Pansy Parkinson, another Slytherin prefect.

They parted shortly after Justin Finch-Fletchley and Pansy Parkinson showed up.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

By the time the two prefects were on their last round of patrolling, Harry was thoroughly exhausted and utterly bored. Harry hid another yawn as his companion droned on endlessly about…something. Something which Harry could not perceive, but was definitely certain he had heard about the night before._ Urg, most likely another gossip the nosy Hufflepuff had dug up somewhere….I swear, Justin Fince-Fletchley must be the single most talkative person to have walked the planet. Amongst the living and the dead._ Harry was overcame with a sudden urge to pull out his own ears. He sighed at his bad luck for having to tolerate this mind-numbing chattering two nights in a row.

He suddenly remembered Draco, who was supposed to be the one hearing this crap right now, instead of him. Draco, who was currently partying in the Ravenclaw common room, with the Head Boy… his crush!

Harry sighed again, but the sound was lost amidst the Hufflepuff's everlasting yaks and the chill night wind.

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"Well, hello, Harry, the love of my life. How are you this beautiful Saturday morning?" Draco greeted Harry cheerfully when they met in the potions classroom the next morning.

The classroom was empty except for the two boys, since nobody else was life-less and pathetic enough to do nothing else but work on a dumb potions project, on a Saturday morning.

Harry scowled at the happy Slytherin._ How many cups of coffee did he have this morning? I've never seen him this hyper._ He wasn't exactly in a good mood today, but Draco's extra cheeriness was seriously pissing him off. "Looks like you had fun with Terry last night." He said, bitterness evident in his tone.

"You could say that. What, didn't you had fun patrolling with Justin the-Motor-Mouth Finch-Fletchley last night?" Draco smirked at Harry, who couldn't help but snorted at the amazingly appropriate nickname for the garrulous Hufflepuff. Demeaning nicknames had always been one of the Slytherin's specialties. "Didn't he confess his undying love for you too?"

Harry glared at him in a, he hoped, threatening manner. Undoubtedly, the merciless teasing will continue throughout their session today. His frustrated mind desperately searched for a comeback. He didn't fail to notice the way Draco had purposely avoided the topic of Terry Boot.

"Tell me, dear Draco, does anyone else know about your love interest?" He smiled maliciously. However, Draco was not fazed by his sudden burst of Slytherin-ness. He was the prince of Slytherin, after all.

"Of course," Draco said and pulled out the vial containing their potion.

"Who?" Harry started setting up the cauldron and retrieving ingredients needed to carry out the experiments.

"…Professor Snape?"

"And?"

"And…Terry?" Draco blushed at his whispered confession.

Harry stopped in the middle of adding the frog's livers to the cauldron, "He knows?" His teasing tone was replaced with genuine curiosity, "How did he find out? Did you tell him?" Then Harry suddenly realized that Draco hadn't been avoiding the topic of Terry, per se, rather, he was avoiding the topic of last night. "You told him last night, didn't you?"

The shade of red that appeared on the pale boy's face had surprised Harry. He didn't know anyone could turn this red in a blink of an eye. Even Ron, at his best moments, couldn't achieve this shade of crimson at such a record time.

"No! And don't ask. There's no way in hell I'm ever going to tell you what happened last night." Draco snatched the frog's livers from Harry's hand and started adding them himself.

"Alright," said Harry, while pouring some water into the cauldron. He found himself a little disappointed that Draco wouldn't satisfy his curiosity, and vaguely wondered when he had became so much like a nosy Hufflepuff.

But before he could pry anymore about Draco's love life, the Slytherin himself had launched into a wordy monologue that was the life story of Terry Boot. 

Harry stared wide-eyed at Draco while he started to recount every little detail about the Head Boy.

Personally, Harry had no interest whatsoever in knowing that Terry Boot was left-handed or had a shoe size of nine and a half or cut his hair once in two months. And he couldn't comprehend why in hell would anyone want to know such absolutely irrelevant information.

Harry suspected that Draco probably had no one else except Professor Snape to talk to about this. He pitied the Slytherin for having to discuss his love problems with the uncompassionate professor. 

Somehow, Harry felt obligated to listen to his ranting since he was the only one else available. However, Draco's lengthy speech was starting to unnerve him. Harry suddenly wondered if there was a little Justin Finch-Fletchley in everyone. 

Between all the "you know Terry…"s and "then Terry said…"s, Harry's attention drifted off to somewhere outside of England. Somewhere tropical, preferably, with beaches and coconut trees, and men and women in swimsuits…

He was snapped back to reality when the yellow liquid in their cauldron boiled. Harry decided a change in subject must be initiated to safe his own sanity. So he faked a little cough to gain Draco's attention, and asked something that had been bothering him for a while now, "Hey, why did you, and the rest of the Slytherins, stopped picking fights with the Gryffindors?"

"Why? You wanted us to fight with you again? I didn't know you were such a masochist, Potter," said Draco. He opened the vial and winced at the strong smell of their mysterious potion. He added a drop of it to the boiling liquid, which immediately turned blood red. 

Harry noted the change, which indicated the acidity of their potion.

"No, I'm just curious. Besides, Hermione and Ron had different theories, and I wanted to know which one was correct."

"What did they reckon?"

Harry told him about their reasoning.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that Granger is once again correct, though only partly. The war had a lot to do with it, but not all," Draco stated.

Harry watched him silently, prompting him to continue his explanation. Draco realized Harry wouldn't be satisfied until he told him more. So he continued, "Do you know the Acheson twins?"

"The second years? Clara and Jordon Acheson?" Harry actually only knew Clara because she was a Gryffindor. Jordon was, if Harry could remember correctly, a Slytherin.

"Yes, them. I once saw them hexing each other last year."

Brief silence followed.

"What? That's it? You stopped fighting with us because some first years were fighting each other?"

"Not just any first years, they were brothers and sisters. They shouldn't fight with each other just because they were in different houses. They shouldn't fight each other at all. Don't you see? They fight because we fight. We are role models for them. Do you realize how much of what we do effect the younger students?"

Harry was slightly taken aback with Draco's explanation. He had never considered that before, and it was completely true. The idea of house rivalry was so firmly established ever since they were first years that none of them realized that it might tear apart families and friends. _If I had been put into Slytherin, would I still became friends with Ron and Hermione?_

He looked astonished at Draco, whoes silver eyes glinted under the dim firelight as if the torches were inside his eyes instead of on the dungeon walls.

"You are right. We are setting bad examples for the little kids." 

It was all Harry could say. He never thought that Draco Malfoy would be the one to inspire him to be considerate of the welfare of children. He chuckled at the thought.

"Wow, you actually agreed with me. This must be a first," said Draco, grinning triumphly as he started to clean the cauldron.

The sound from Harry's stomach notified him that it was nearly time for lunch. He had been in here for almost two hours with Draco, talking about his love life, discussing the future of children, joking and conversing as if they were friends.

Draco froze as he was also struck by the same thought. His eyes widened slightly and asked, "Are we becoming friends?"

Harry stared at the mildly bewildered Slytherin. What he said earlier still fresh in his mind. "I guess so," he replied tentatively.

After a moment of silence that made Harry wanted to withdraw his answer, Draco said calmly, "Cool, my first Gryffindor friend." Then he resumed his task of cauldron scrubbing.

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A/N: Finally finished chapted 2…hoped you liked it…please review!


	3. Hand in Hand with Poker Night

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue…please?

Pairing: Eventual Draco/Harry…

A/N: This story was started before the release of OotP, so now it became sorta an AU fic…I'm not gonna revise it even when I finish OotP because it'll require a major plot change, so I'll just let it be.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed: **sw, ****seelie, Lady.of.the.stars, ****Sparkler, ****Kimmy, ****Remmy, ****Lanevaly, ****Lily Evans Potter Black Lupin, ****CrazyAce & Twylyght, CrUsHeDvElVeT, Lunadeath, SilverPrincess, paws10081, Ice Lupus **

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**What the hell…??**

Chapter 3: Hand in Hand with Poker Night

That typical Saturday morning ended with Harry and Draco stepping into the Great Hall for lunch together, chatting amicably. Hundred pairs of eyes strayed to them once again, with raised eyebrows, not unlike a few days ago when they came in laughing like crazy, although the cause today was only for being somewhat friendly towards each other. Harry was slightly annoyed for becoming the latest source of entertainment for the rest of the school. _Why is everybody watching us like that? As if we'd had done something wrong, well, not wrong, but definitely disappointing. _He mused, _I wonder what their faces would be like if we arrived hand in hand one day?_ Harry's jaw dropped and cheeks reddened suddenly at the totally random thought. _Where did that come from?_

Harry lowered his head and hurried to his seat at the Gryffindor table. Beside him, Ron was watching him worriedly, but he didn't say anything. Although Harry had no doubt that Ron considered him crazy enough for a permanent placement in St. Mungo's psychiatric ward for associating with Malfoy. Hermione, however, was smiling encouragingly at him, as if she approved his friendliness towards the Slytherin. Harry was surprised to find that his friends' reactions were exactly what he'd expected. Ron acting all protective and skeptical, and Hermione would be the understanding and forgiving one. No questions were asked, none were needed, just the complete trust between them that developed from years of standing by each other, fighting evil dark wizard.

Warmth spreaded in Harry's heart, and he suddenly felt more confident than ever. He looked up to the rest of the school, scanning across the Great Hall, gazing straight back at those who had stared at him, as if to challenge them for questioning or doubting his choice of friends. Finally, his eyes locked with those of Terry Boot.

Harry was slightly taken aback by the way Terry was looking at him. There was no trace of nosiness or disapproval in his deep black eyes, only calculation. He was observing him like a piece of specimen. Harry fidgeted under his intense scrutiny. He couldn't figure out why the hell the Head Boy was examining him like that, but he was sure it must have something to do with Draco. He grew more and more curious at what happened last night at Lisa Turpin's party. All he knew was that somehow Terry had discovered Draco's silly little crush on him, but what about him? Did he like him back? Draco hadn't mention Terry's reaction to the news. Although, judging from Draco's extra buoyant attitude this morning, it should have been extremely promising. But what exactly was the status of their relationship now? Were they boyfriends? Harry frowned, _No, they couldn't be, at least not yet._ Somehow, the picture of Draco and Terry together didn't seem very…pleasing. 

Harry refused to dwell further on this subject. Knowing his curiosity would not be satisfied until the next time his saw Draco, Harry opted to satisfy his attention-deprived stomach at the time being, and ignored the Ravenclaw, hoping he would soon grow tired of analyzing him.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *

Over the next two weeks, Harry had spent more time with Draco Malfoy than he had in seven years of knowing the boy put together. Not just at the arranged meetings for doing their potions project, but whenever they happened to pass by each other in the halls, or during prefects meetings, or in the same class, they'd talk. But no matter how much Harry asked or tricked, what happened that night in the Ravenclaw common room still remained a secret. Draco was just too stubborn and careful to let anything slip. 

The more they talked, the more Harry found himself actually enjoying their conversations. Well, at least the parts where the name Terry Boot was not mentioned, which, Harry was relieved to notice, was occuring more and more often. Maybe Draco had finally caught the look of displeasure on Harry's face whenever this topic surfaced, or maybe this topic was just not as substantial as he once thought. After all, Terry Boot was definitely not that much of an interesting person, at least not to Harry.

Now, Draco, on the other hand, was truly fascinating. To those he deemed worthy to be his friends, he'd showed a completely different side of him that no one else had the privilege to see. He was caring and considerate. He'd squeeze time to tutor Crabbe and Goyle in between his busy schedule, he'd help Pansy take care of her cat when she was occupied, and he'd patiently explain a particularly confusing part of their assignment whenever Harry had trouble with it. Surprisingly, Draco did not considered Crabbe and Goyle his lackeys, he was geniuely fond of them, and Pansy Parkinson, although Harry could not fathom why. He knew Draco would never admit it out loud, but the way he talked about his friends betrayed a deep affection he held for them. 

He was also painfully straight-forward. Unknowingly, and unintentionally, he'd offend others, and end up antagonizing himself to those who mistook his bluntness as arrogance. 

Truly a Slytherin, Draco was spiteful and scheming to those he disliked, which, Harry had soon discovered, was not a category exclusive to Gryffindors, although that constituded a large portion. There were quite a few Slytherins that Draco found utterly annoying. He also had the ability to dislike someone for apparently no reason at all, which disturbed Harry a little. 

Harry never noticed that Draco's expression could reveal all his feelings. Like during class when he was concentrated, his brows would knot and his tongue would stick out ever so slightly. Or when he was feeling playful, his smile would become a smirk and his eyes would have a mischievous glint. Whenever he was around Terry though, his smile would become shy, and he'd lower his head so slightly such that a strand of his silver hair would fall over his eyes.  

Draco was…just too complicated to be described. Whenever Harry thought he had him figured out, he managed to surprise him again. Like a mystery that took forever to solve. 

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *

Harry was distressed. He had became the object of Terry Boot's constant scrutiny. It seemed that time did not cease the Head Boy's sudden burst of interest in Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry inwardly sighed as he felt Terry's gaze following him yet again. He tried to ignore it. However, he couldn't ignore the hand that stopped him in the middle of the corridor when he was walking back to his dorms. He turned around to see Terry Boot standing in front of him.

"Yes?" Harry knew that sooner or later, the Ravenclaw would approach him, and he had a feeling he knew why, "Is there something you wished to ask me?" Harry inquired politely. Truth be told, he wanted this confrontation to be as short as possible, Terry Boot was really creeping him out.

He nodded, and asked, "Are you and Draco…friends?" He was eeriely calm, but an undertone of mild hostility was detectable in his voice. 

Harry was confused. Is that what he wanted to ask? There seemed to be another underlying implication masked by the question…. 

Harry's eyes widen as realization dawned. _He is jealous!! He thought me and Draco…_._So, he _does_ like him back._ There was a pinch of bitterness in his thoughts that he couldn't identify the source from, and he felt the overwhelming need to clarify their relationship, to reassure the other boy, "Yes, as unbelievable as that sounds, we are friends. _Just_ friends." As if that wasn't convincing enough, Harry ranted on, "There's nothing more between us. You know he likes you, he couldn't stop talking about you sometimes. I'm not at all interested in him –_eww, no, of course I'm not, definitely not, no way!-_ if that's what you are worried about, I mean, there's nothing…"

"Ok, I get it!" Terry almost had to shake Harry to stop his babblings, "Thanks." Although his demeanor was still aloof and composed, the relief was evident in his tone.  

"N-no problem." 

Then Terry walked away, leaving Harry alone in the halls wondering why his palms were sweating and his heart beating faster than usual.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *

That night was Tuesday, which meant another potions project meeting. As Harry sat in the classroom, waiting for Draco to arrive, he made a mental note to tell the Slytherin about his encounter with Terry earlier that evening. Draco will surely be delighted to learn that his object of affection was jealous. _Can't wait to tell him…_

He snapped his head towards the entrance when he heard the distinct creakings of an opening door. But it wasn't Draco that came in, it was Pansy Parkinson.

"Oh, hi, Pansy." The said girl raised an eyebrow at the obvious disappointment, "Where's Draco?"

"He said he couldn't come tonight. He's sick." With a smaller, and somewhat amused, voice that wasn't intented to be heard, she added, "At least he claimed to be." She turned to leave.

Harry, confused and concerned, asked, "Wait, is he alright? He was fine this morning in Care of Magical Creatures." 

Pansy was surprised by Harry's concern, but she didn't show it. A mischievous gleam flickered in her eyes when a sudden idea occurred to her. She said, as sincerely as possible, "I assure you, Draco is fine. Say, Potter, do you want to visit him?" 

Harry knew that any Slytherins with oddly glinting eyes, which was usually a promise of highly unpleasant events, should be avoided at all cost, but he was also worried about Draco. After a not-so-long mental argument with himself, he agreed. Pansy gestured the Gryffindor to follow her.

As Pansy led him down further and further into the dungeons, Harry's sense of foreboding grew stronger and stronger. But he couldn't back down now that he was so close to their destination. Finally, they reached the stone wall that marked the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Pansy whispered a password and the wall slid open. Harry was suddenly reminded of the time in second year when….

His nostalgia was interrupted when the strange feeling of being watched descended upon him again. He looked around, frowning, _who is it this time?_ Just as he thought he saw a familiar pair of intense black eyes around the corners….

"What are you waiting for, a red carpet?" Pansy drawled when she noticed Harry didn't follow her cross the threshold.

Harry didn't answer. Before he stepped into the common room, his eyes darted back to the dark corners again, but those eyes were already gone. _Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I talked to Terry already, there's no reason for him to keep spying on me. _

Harry entered the Slytherins common room, and he was pleased to note the familiarity from the scene that greeted him. Green lights that shone abnoramlly bright, hang from the stone ceiling, casting a soft warm emerald glow to the otherwise hard and cold surroundings. All were not so different from what he remembered.

Pansy led him to the front of the mantelpiece where a round table were set up, around which four students were sitting together. And they were…playing Poker!! Harry stared wide-eye at the gambling Slytherins whom he recognized as Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and a very pretty silver-haired girl in a muggle dress who looked remarkably familiar. 

Upon seeing Pansy and Harry, the girl jumped up from her seat and started yelling at Pansy, with a voice that sounded disturbingly like Draco, "What the fuck are you doing bringing him here?" 

The three Slytherin boys were also gaping opened mouthed at Pansy, who suddenly exploded in howling laughter.

"You are so dead Pansy!" The girl said through gritted teeth. Her voice low and drawling, her silver eyes flashing, cheeks flushing with fury, a look that was just too familiar for Harry to dismiss.

With a timidly shaking voice, Harry asked, "D-Draco?"

The person in question buried his face in his hands and dropped to the floor, "Oh God, this is so embarrassing!!" 

A moment of silence passed, with Harry gaping at Drag Draco, and Pansy's dying laughter in the background, while the Slytherin boys seemed to be at loss at what to do. At last, Harry found his voice, "What the hell are you doing, dressed up as a muggle girl, playing poker, and then told me you were sick, while you should be doing potions project with me?"

Draco stood up and said indignantly, "Hey, it's not my fault! I have a perfect explanation for the drag thing!" He gestured toward his dress, which, Harry silently admitted, quite suited him. Draco let out a sigh, "I lost a bet to Pansy and I have to dress like that till midnight tonight, that's why I didn't come for the project, alright?" He turned his attention to the smugly smirking Pansy, "And next time you lose a bet, I'll think of something so humiliating that you'll wish you've never been born. And you'll beg me…" 

Harry could've swore that this was supposed to be a hilarious situation, but he didn't laugh.

Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from Draco's make-up adorned features. His already long eyelashes were emphasized even more by the mascara, his delicate lips glossed by lipsticks, his hair just long enough to tie back as a pony tail….Harry marveled at how much Draco looked like an actual girl. _It must be illegal for a seventeen year-old boy to look this pretty…._

During Draco's speech, Zabini had came up beside his friend and put a hand around Draco's waist and whispered calming words to the blonde. Draco stopped ranting, pouted, still glaring at Pansy, and relaxed slightly at the intimate touch that lingered a tad too long.   

"Whatever, Draco, when have I ever been scared of you idle threats?" Pansy turned to Harry, "So, Potter, since you are here and otherwise unoccupied, you want to join us?" She jerked her head towards the poker table.

Harry looked over at Draco, who was standing too close to Zabini. He didn't show any signs of objection, so Harry agreed. He haven't played poker in a long time, and was itching for a game.

"Cool." Pansy said. "Let's gamble. C'mon Draco, don't sulk, or you won't win…"

Harry pulled up a chair between Draco and Zabini, who shot him a look that he couldn't comprehend. After only a few games, Harry discovered that Draco and Pansy were really good at poker. Their ability to bluff could be considered an art. They could make you believe their hand was a royal flush when it was actually nothing but crap. Blaise Zabini on the other hand was always expressionless, while Crabbe and Goyle couldn't bluff even if their lifes depended on it. But surprisingly, and frustratingly, Crabbe and Goyle were always the ones winning. It seemed they would never run out on luck.   

Harry discovered that betting was some sort of a habit, a ritual between the Slytherins, especially between Pansy and Draco. Somewhat like playing chess was a way of bonding with Ron, making stupid bets were their way of bonding. And they had been doing that since they were childrens. It seemed that their favorite stake was the public humiliation of the others. In fact, Pansy revealed that that offer of friendship in their first year, when Draco had barged into Harry and Ron's compartment on the train, had merely been a bet between the two Slytherins. Harry should have felt insulted, but instead he found himself asking what Draco had to do since he obviously lost the bet. 

"He had to yell 'I love Dumbledore' twenty times in the middle of the common room" Pansy smirked at Draco, who had been scowling at her the whole night. _No wonder he hated me…._

Vince and Greg and Blaise sniggered at the memory.

"You know what, Draco?" Pansy commented suddenly. "Sam would look exactly like you right now, if she'd grown up." And everyone froze. Draco lowered his head slightly, while Blaise frowned at Pansy for mentioning that name. "What? He does!"

Draco muttered a faint "excuse me" and left the table. Harry stared at his retreating back, wondering what happened. He turned to Pansy, hoping she'd satisfy his inquisitiveness. She didn't disappoint him.

"Samatha Malfoy. His little sister. She died during the war with his parents." Pansy said, while Blaise sighed, obviously disapproved Pansy for divulging the information.

"Why do you always have to bring this up?" Blaise said tiredly, shaking his head, "You know he'd get depressed…"

"He had to learn to live with it sooner or later. Avoiding the subject doesn't change the reality…"

Harry ignored the arguing pair and went after Draco. He opened the door to the room which he saw Draco entered. Before he could announce his presence, Draco, who was staring at a mirror, asked, "Do you think I look like her, Blaise?"

"I don't know. I've never seen her before. And I'm quite sure I'm not Blaise." Harry walked up beside Draco, who jumped at his voice. "Pansy told me about your sister. Don't be mad at her, she was just trying to help."

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at her. She's the only one who dare say her name in front of me. And I love her for it."

Harry smiled, then something caught his eyes. Draco was holding a muggle doll, a damaged muggle doll. 

"It was a birthday present for Sam when she was six. She had wanted something muggle, and I bought this for her. Without our parents knowing, of course. She used to hide it under her bed at the Manor. That's why it's only partly damaged." The Malfoy Manor had been one of the battle grounds during the war. Now, the house was completely detroyed. "it's the only thing I have of hers left." Draco said softly, his hands caressing the burnt fabric of the muggle doll. 

"Why didn't you try to repair it?"

"It's too damaged to be repaired. It'll only fall apart faster."

Sadness flooded from Draco's eyes, and Harry had a strong desire to rid that emotion from him. And he knew exactly what would cheer him up. "You know who came to me this evening?" Harry waited until he had Draco's attention before continuing, "Terry Boot."

Draco's eyes widen, grief tempoarily forgotten. Harry silently congratulated himself. "Talk, now, Potter!" Draco demanded, and Harry complied. 

"So you think he was jealous, eh?" Draco asked, after he forced Harry to recount every little detail about his encounter with the Head Boy. His eyes flashed with joy.

"That would seem most likely." Suddenly a loud buzzing sound emerged from behind Harry, startling the brave Gryffindor. 

Draco jumped and slapped something behind Harry, then bounced out of the room yelling, "It's midnight!! Pansy!!"

After some swish-n-flicks later, Draco was returned to normal. And Harry decided it was time for him to retire, so he did.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *

The next morning, Draco walked into the Great Hall hand in hand with Terry Boot. 

Along with the rest of the school, Harry gawked at the couple, an odd pang of disappointment made itself known in his heart.

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A/N: Sorry for the long and crappy chapter. Please do not kill me for the Terry/Draco thing…it hurts me to write it too. I promise it'll definitely be Draco/Harry later…later….Reviews, Please?

BTW, many of you said in your reviews that you noticed mistakes, please let me know where the mistakes are, I wanna correct them. Thanks.

And, I've been told that my '??' and '!!' are really annoying. I'm sorry if this is true, it's just a weird habit of mine to double the '?'s and '!'s. Anyone noticed I tried to cut back on that already? Hehe…


	4. Truth: From Recognition to Acceptance

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue…please?

Pairing: Eventual Draco/Harry…

A/N: **A huge thanks to the wonderful Andrea for beta-ing this.**

And also thanks to all reviewers: **zeynel, Ice Lupus, Akemi-Masaki, Lanevaly, a reader, ****CrUsHeDvElVeT, ****SunGoddess.**

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**What the hell…??**

Chapter 4: Truth: From Recognition to Acceptance

Harry frowned at the weird, yet not unfamiliar, pang of something in his heart when he gaped at the scene. Draco succeeded again in attracting everyone's attention when strolling into the Great Hall, fingers entwined with Terry Boot's. His silver eyes sparkled with innocent joy. He was chewing on his lower lip, attempting to suppress the smile that was fighting to break out. But his effort was in vain when Terry leaned towards him and planted a soft kiss on his lips, and the grin, no longer containable, finally took over his features. Even Harry from his seat was able to sense the happiness that seemed to be radiating from the blond. 

As soon as they detached themselves from each other and went to their respective house tables, murmurs and whispers erupted from the crowd, which, of course, were disregarded by the couple. Draco claimed his usual seat between Vince and Greg, across from Blaise and Pansy. From the Gryffindor table, Harry couldn't make out their expressions, but he guessed that his friends were not surprised by the show, since they didn't seemed to be pestering Draco about it. Draco caught Harry's eyes across the hall; he shot him a smile and winked at him. 

Harry blushed at the playful, yet somewhat seductive gesture, and diverted his eyes to something else. He wondered why his heart suddenly decided to beat extra violently, and why all the blood in his body seemed to have settled in his cheeks, and why his palms could possibly perspire in the middle of a chilly October morning. 

Though he refused to acknowledge it, he knew at the back of his mind exactly what these symptoms implied; he was a healthy seventeen year-old after all. He had experienced them before, with Cho in fifth year, with Ginny in sixth year for a very brief period, and now, it was Draco. But the fact that it was Draco Malfoy who aroused such reactions from his body was…_ludicrous. It was Malfoy, for God's sake…I refuse to admit I'm…wait, wait, there's nothing to admit! Damnit, what the hell am I thinking anyways?_

Unable to make sense of his thoughts, Harry decided to join everyone else in the Great Hall and concentrate on his meal. However, he did hear, from beside him, Ron's mumbling comments on Terry Boot's taste in men, or lack thereof. Harry wondered what Ron could possibly say about that subject, considering he was most definitely straight. However, he didn't question Ron about it since his brain had just kindly reminded him, _so are you…._

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That day was one of the weirdest days in Harry's seven years of learning experience in Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy was actually being nice to everyone. Even the Gryffindors he detested. It was most unnerving to see him helping Neville with his spell, greeting Ron and Ginny politely, and complimenting Hermione for her work. It was scaring the shit out of them, which, Harry was starting to suspect, was exactly Draco's intention. His well-hidden sadistic side must be enjoying the faces of Harry's nauseating friends. Maybe even a bit too much to be considered healthy.

Although, not all students were frightened, or sickened, by his jubilant mood. Those that weren't, were turned into piles of mush by his smile. Harry had to admit that Draco did look gorgeous when he flashed that dazzling I'm-so-fucking-happy-I'm-dating-Terry smile, but the superficiality of his currently swooning and drooling fellow schoolmates, and a few professors, was really displeasing, _disgusting, actually. I think I'm gonna be sick, too…_

Worried about the mental and physical well-being of his friends, and himself, Harry decided the new and improved 'nice and hyper' Draco was highly overrated. It was too out of character, too bizarre, for the Slytherin to be nice. It just wasn't him.

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That night, as Harry was patrolling with Draco, he told him the affects of his earlier terrifying behaviour had on people, especially the Gryffindors.

"I know. Wasn't it fun? Longbottom almost wet his pants this morning when I talked to him." Draco answered, followed by a few minutes of manic laughter, thus confirming Harry's suspicion of Draco's sadistic nature. Harry frowned disapprovingly at him. 

"By the way," Harry said dryly, "congratulations at successfully bagging our Head Boy." He paused, but couldn't help himself from asking, "So, when did that happen?"

Draco smiled shyly and answered, "Well, after you left last night, he came to the dungeons looking for me. And…something happened, then…something else happened, and we are together!" 

"Oh, thanks for clearing that up for me, and here I thought you were going to be vague about it." Harry said sarcastically.

"Oh, c'mon, you don't expect me to tell you very little detail of my love life, do you?"

"Well, no," _but I want you to  _"but, you can at least be more specific."

"Too bad, that's all you are gonna get."

"Come ooooonnnnnn, Draco, tell me more." Harry whined, making Draco snort. If there was one thing that Harry had learned about Draco, it had to be his defenselessness against whining. Information could never be pried from him by trickery or by force, but whining always did the trick. 

"Alright, alright, you little whiner," Draco took a deep breath, then continued reticently, "umm, he, er, came in, and, er, kissed me in front of my friends…" Draco turned his crimson face away bashfully from Harry's penetrating gaze.

Harry was stunned for a minute, then finally managed to mutter a small "oh…".  But he quickly collected himself, and said, "Damn, I should've stayed longer for the show…."

Draco scowled, "I thought you saw one this morning."

"That's true." Harry smiled, "And your friends? How are they taking the news?"

"They were shocked. Blaise tried to hex Terry into oblivion and beyond before he found out that it was, er, mutual. Pansy yelled some nonsense at me for a while, and I think Vince and Greg fainted." Draco sniggered, "And they interrogated me the whole night. I think they felt betrayed that I didn't tell them earlier."

"Why didn't you?" This had bothered Harry for a while already, since Draco and the other Slytherins seemed very close, yet he chose to keep his crush a secret.

"Because, Vince and Greg do not understand the word 'secret', even if it jumped out of Dumbledore's pants and bit them in the arse. And Pansy does not believe in secrecy, and she would get all excited and try to do everything to set me up with him, which I can do perfectly fine by myself, thank you very much. And Blaise, well, Blaise just didn't like Terry very much."  Harry nodded, and Draco was eager to change the direction of their conversation, "What about you, Harry? Interested in anyone right now?"

Harry raised one eyebrow and looked over at Draco's slyly smiling face. He didn't know what possessed him, but he nodded, and blushed.

That immediately caught Draco's attention. He hadn't expect an affirmative answer when he asked the question. But, now that he had gotten his answer, he didn't know how to react, so he opted for the most appropriate, "Who?" An imaginary something was caught in his throat as he waited patiently for Harry's answer.

Harry refused to meet the curious gaze of his companion and, instead, stared at some unidentified point in front of him. He murmured a small name, "Mandy Brocklehurst." 

Something must have taken control over Harry's body, because he could not have possibly said that. But, it wasn't exactly a lie. He did like the girl. She was pretty and smart, and reminded Harry somewhat of Cho, but there wasn't anything romantic about his feeling towards the girl. So why in hell did he say her name? Why did he feel he had to say someone's name? _Maybe I like her more than I think. Yes, that must be it. _

He risked a glance at Draco, who was rendered speechless by the revelation, and was staring at Harry intently. But he soon returned to his old self and said, "Unexpected, but not too bad a choice." Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Hey, she's a Ravenclaw, want me and Terry to arrange something for you?" 

"No! Like you said, I'll do perfectly fine on my own, thank you very much." Was there some unsaid universal understanding among people who were dating to set their single friends up? Because that was exactly what Ron and Hermione had done when they first got together.

"Fine, just don't come begging for help later…"

Harry snorted, "Don't worry, you know I'll never beg you!" 

"Ha," Draco smirked at Harry, "we'll see about that, Harry. I'll kick your pathetic Gryffindor arse so badly next Sunday, you'll be on your knees begging me for mercy afterwards." Next Sunday was their first Quidditch match this year. 

Harry was silently glad for the change in topic of their conversation, and Quidditch was always a welcomed subject between them. They argued heatedly for a while on who was going to win the match before something suddenly occurred to Draco. 

"Hey, Harry, you were raised as a muggle, do you know anything about Shakespeare?" 

Harry was startled by the abruptness of the question, "The muggle playwright?" Draco nodded, "I had to read something of his at muggle school, but I don't know much about him. Why?" 

"Nothing, it's just Terry seemed to be very interested in his works, and I want to know what's so fascinating about them."

Well, of course, it was about Terry again. "Well, honestly, I don't know anything about the guy, and even though I've read one or two of his works, I'm sorry to say I didn't understand it very much." He didn't want to disappoint Draco, but Harry was never much of a fan of plays or sonnets. 

And neither was Draco, who let out an embarrassed chuckle and said, "Actually, me too." He paused for a second, "By the way, don't tell anyone about 'Poker Nights', especially not Terry! I don't want him to think I'm some sort of addicted gambler." 

"Well, are you?"

"Of course not!" Draco replied a bit too quickly and loudly, "It's just a hobby."

"Then what's the problem. I doubt he'd mind a hobby."

"I just… don't want to scare him off. He's like this perfect person, who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't gamble. And I don't want him to know I do all of that. I've spent too much time to obtain what I have now, and I don't want to ruin it."

_Doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't gamble? That's not perfect, that's boring!_ "Still, you shouldn't lie to him."

"I'm not lying, I'm just not telling him yet. I'm sure I'll grow out of my drinking, smoking, gambling phase one day, and then there'll be nothing to tell." Draco said with no small amount of uncertainty.

Harry frowned. That sounded…twisted. Or, was Draco just trying to twist himself into something he was not? Harry turned to face Draco, "Draco, you don't need to change yourself to fit him, you are great the way you are. If he truly likes you, it wouldn't matter that you do all of that. He'll accept them as part of you." He looked directly into those clear mercury eyes, whose owner was staring straight back into his. "Trust his feelings, trust him, and trust yourself. Where's that overconfident, I'm-the-king-of-the-world, egotistical bastard that I used to hate?"

Draco snorted and muttered a small "thanks". But for what, Harry wasn't sure. 

For a while, they just stood there motionlessly and wordlessly, the only interaction between them being the unfaltering eye contact. The moonlight fell on Draco's face, gently illuminating his hair, his eyes, his face, his everything. The sight was so magnetic that Harry found himself wanting to lean closer to the other boy, capture his soft lips and never let this breathtaking moment to end…

Harry jumped and his face paled. And the tension ceased. "I, er, think it's time to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." He said in one breath and ran off, leaving Draco slightly dazed, wondering what the hell just happened. 

*           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           

Harry could still hear the pounding of his heart five hours after he came back to the Gryffindor tower. As he lay wide awake in the middle of the night, staring at the canopy, all he could see was a glowing silver silhouette that seemed to have burnt into his mind. He groaned, squirming in his bed. _What the hell is happening to me? Why did I want to kiss him? I must be going crazy! _

But the truth was so painfully obvious that it was no longer negligible. He was attracted to him. Harry Potter was attracted to Draco Malfoy! _Shit! _

_No fucking way! I've just been spending too much time with him lately, and his gay-ness is rubbing off on me. It'll go away. I'll go back to my normal heterosexual self in no time. Don't fret, Harry. You like that Ravenclaw, remember? What's her name again? Oh, yes, Mandy Brocklehurst. In fact, you like her so much you'll ask her out tomorrow. So go to sleep now! You sexually frustrated lunatic! _

And so, the hero of the wizarding world made an attempt to will himself out of the realm of homosexuality by asking the Ravenclaw girl out the next morning. He also tried to avoid spending so much time with a certain good-looking Slytherin, which wasn't very difficult since both of them had agreed to reduce the time spent on potions project, due to the need to practice Quidditch, and snog their respective lovers. 

*           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           

Sunday morning had the best weather for Quidditch. The sky was clear and the sun shone high. This was their last year and last chance at the Cup, and Harry was determined to win that for his house. His teammates, though, was worried that he might go soft on the Slytherin now that they were friends. Harry had to reassure them that both he and Draco loved the game too much to throw it away like that.

Approaching the changing rooms, Harry noticed Draco and Terry standing just in front of the doors. His teammates made disgusted noises when they saw their attached lips. Harry had the distinct urge to jam his broom down Terry's throat so deep that it came back out his arsehole. But his new-found violent tendency were discouraged when the head of his girlfriend suddenly popped into view. 

Mandy offered him a small 'good luck' and a kiss. When their lips smashed together, a chant repeated itself in Harry's mind: _You like girls, you like girls, you are not jealous of him, you like girls._ Some other saner part of his mind remembered a time when he needn't remind himself that, when he had liked the taste of too much lipstick, or the smell of too much perfume, or the feel of too long hair.

Then he broke the kiss and Mandy left. Harry's attention was again tuned on Draco, who saw the kiss and frowned at the retreating back of the girl. He walked up to Harry with the Head Boy, and said in a hushed tone not meant for anyone else's ears, "You don't really like her, do you?"  

"What?" Harry startled, his heartbeat quickened. Did Draco know something? "What, what are you talking about?"

"Your face. It went like this when you kissed her." Draco made a face, screwing all his features into one point as if in pain.

Harry couldn't help but snort, he had never seen a more hilariously adorable face of suffering. "Umm, I'll talk to you later, after the game." There was no way in hell he was having this conversation with him in front of the changing rooms, right before a match, and especially not with Terry around, gawking at him like the weird creep that he was.

Draco nodded and the Quiddtich players stepped into their changing rooms getting ready at the match.

*           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           

Harry sat steadily on his broom, scanning the pitch for the golden thing-y. He wanted to find it and win the game and get out of there as soon as possible, because he couldn't concentrate anymore. He found himself being distracted by Draco more and more as the game went on. 

The wind rushed through Draco's hair as he flew, and the sunlight was dancing off from those wavering silver strands. He was positively glowing, but unlike that night under the moon, where he was softly luminescent. Today, he was glistering blazingly.

Harry berated himself when he realized he was distracted again. _Concentrate. _He had promised his team that he wouldn't throw away the game, but now all he could think about was the lighting effect the sun had on his opponent, who, Harry decided then, was the more appropriate one to blame for his inability to focus on his current task. _Damn him._

Suddenly, he noticed Draco shot towards the Hufflepuff stand in lightening speed. He must have spotted the snitch. Instinctively, Harry raced after him, and he saw the fleeting flash emitted from the winged ball. Everything else became a blur besides the floating snitch in front of them. He was now side by side with Draco on his right. Harry tried to push him away with his body, and positioned himself slightly in front of the other seeker, who tried to push him back with equal force, but failed. Harry was getting closer and closer, he could feel his fingertips came in contact with one of the wings….

From the corner of his eyes, Harry noticed a bludger zooming towards him from his left. With a last blast of energy and an uncharacteristic war cry, he dashed forward, grabbed the snitch by its wing, and steered upwards away from the advancing bludger.

Harry held tight to the struggling wing of the golden snitch, but he snapped his attention back to the game below when he heard a nasty cracking sound, and what he saw made his blood ran cold.

Harry had turned just in time to see Draco's body lifelessly plummeting to the ground. It took a moment for him to register the scene. Draco must have noticed the bludger a moment too late. And when he tried, unsuccessfully, to pull away from its course, it collided with his left shoulder. 

Harry wasn't aware that the snitch had escaped from his loosened grip as he once again raced towards the falling blonde. He felt like his heart was going to jump out of his rib cage as he accelerated faster and faster, but he didn't care, he had to reach him…._Oh God, don't let this happen, don't… _

But Draco's drop was halted suddenly. His body was then slowly eased to the ground. 

Harry also landed. He sprinted towards and knelt down just beside the unconscious boy. He caught a glimpse of Snape's worried face running towards them, with his wand pointing at Draco, along with Madame Pomfrey. Harry let out a breath of relief. 

Draco would be safe now. 

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A/N: So…? What would be next? Amnesia? Coma? Paralysis? Or,…Death? Hehe…

Once again, thanks to Andrea. If anyone else would like to beta this, leave me a message! And the most important, REVIEW!


	5. Retching Normality

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue…please?

Pairing: Eventual Draco/Harry…

A/N: So many people reviewed!! I'm so happy!! *bounces up and down*. Keep up the wonderful reviews!! Thanks sooooo much!! Love you all. :).

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**What the hell…??**

Chapter 5: Retching Normality

Another sleep-deprived night tortured Harry. Lost in his contemplation, he stared blankly at the canopy of his bed, the image of a falling Draco broadcasted itself over and over again in his mind. It had been the most terrifying moment of his life. Draco could've died. This fact alone made Harry's body shake with fear and despair.

The pain that seized his heart from this morning refused to dissipate, and Harry surrendered to it, surrendered to the truth. How could he not, when the mere thought of losing Draco could bring tears to his eyes? It took the most desperate circumstance to force him to see clearly, to believe without a doubt, what the reality was. There was just no point anymore in denying it, rejecting it, escaping it.

He was falling in love with him. 

Plain and simple; yet ever so complicated. He sighed; sleep was definitely out of question tonight. Sick and tired of useless twistings and turnings, Harry slid off his bed. He needed a walk to get rid of the tightness that had settled in his chest. He draped his invisibility cloak securely around him, and creeped out of the tower. 

Harry tiptoed his way towards the infirmary, but his steps grew heavier and more urgent as he drew nearer. He carefully pushed the doors to the Hospital Wing open and peeked in. His eyes immediately landed on a blonde head, which was only half-exposed. The lower half of Draco's face and his body were tucked in deeply and comfortably under the blanket.

His long and delicate eyelashes kept fluttering, revealing his deep state of slumber. Actually, Draco was magically put to sleep by Madame Pomfrey for the night, in order to do a more thorough and pain-free check for any neck injuries. The bludger had only broken a few bones, which were mended by the said nurse immediately, no permanent damage were done.

Harry reached his right hand out to tenderly caress Draco's rarely disarrayed hair. When he noticed Draco's left hand dangling at the side of the bed, he intended to tuck it back inside the cover with his free hand. But, at the instant they came in contact, Draco's fingers subconsciously curled themselves around Harry's, holding their left hands awkwardly together. Harry couldn't, or more precisely, didn't want to let go. 

The tightness in his chest aggravated. _So what if I am in love with him? He's with somebody else, and there's nothing I can do about it. …Or, is there? What if I told him? How would he react? Would he leave Terry?… Not bloody likely!_ He sighed.

Harry tightened his own grip. He looked from their interlaced fingers, _there might not be another chance to hold his hand like this,_ to Draco's half hidden face, _he looked so fragile, so tired, and so… un-shiny_.

"I've been such a hypocrite." Harry began almost inaudibly, more to himself than to Draco. "I told you to trust yourself, when I was the one doubting myself all along." 

Unwilling to break the stolen touch, Harry stood beside Draco's bed without even attempting to obtain a nearby chair. 

The night quietly dissolved away, much to Harry's dismay. The sun's emergence signaled the expiration of his stay in the infirmary. He had to head back to his dorms before his housemates noticed his absence. So, with a last lingering look, Harry reluctantly extracted himself from the other boy and left. 

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

Before breakfast the next morning, Harry had to do something very important: dump Mandy. There was just no way he could continue their relationship, being fully aware that his heart belonged somewhere else. Harry chose to tell her over breakfast in the Great Hall. Mandy was smart enough not to create an embarrassing scene in front of the whole school, so they separated peacefully. 

Exhaustion from severe lack of sleep made Harry's stomach oppose the idea of food so early in the morning, so, with some mumbled nonsense, he excused himself from his worried friends, and proceeded to the infirmary again. _Draco should be awake by now…_ And he was. But, he wasn't alone. Terry was there, too, holding his hand much like Harry did a few hours ago. 

Stabs of jealousy pierced through his heart like a thousand knives, or maybe a cruciatus or two, and Harry had to bite his tongue. 

When they noticed his entrance, Terry gave a small nod, while Draco bolted up and asked, "Who won?", before Harry could say anything.

"Gryffindor, as per usual." Harry said, trying act normal and hoping they didn't notice the slight quivering in his voice. "How are you?"

Draco answered Harry by a chain of obscenities, although somewhat euphemized in Terry's presence, still obscenities nonetheless, regarding one stupid bludger and one stupid Gryffindor seeker. Harry, lightened by the normality on Draco's part, retorted, with an equally colorful use of Englsih language, by saying something about one stupid Slytherin seeker's inadequacy in Quidditch. And so, another friendly discussion about Quidditch was launched.

Just when Draco was demanding a rematch, the Head Boy, who was somehow lost and forgotten in the mist of their petty and overly childish bickerings, decided that their discussion was too sporting for his taste, and would rather be enjoying a hot and greasy breakfast right about now. So, he bid the two players goodbye, but not without granting a last kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. And the brightest smile Harry had ever seen burgeoned on Draco's face.

At that instant, Harry decided he would not reveal his feelings to the Slytherin, because it didn't matter. It didn't matter that Draco was with somebody else, it didn't matter that his feelings were forever unrequited. Just as long as Draco could keep smiling like that, everything else really didn't matter. Coming to this conclusion, Harry felt like something was lifted from his chest, and he sighed. 

Before Terry reached the infirmary entrance, the door was suddenly pulled open from the outside, and Blaise stepped in with the other Slytherins. He stopped dead at seeing the Head Boy, who greeted them with another cold nod and left the infirmary. Blaise scowled at Terry's back, his eyes burning with something more than hatred. Harry had seen this look before, but he couldn't comprehend its meaning until today. Today, that look spoke volumes. It was the exact same look Harry himself had been sending the Ravenclaw, with jealousy. Harry's eyes widened with shock at the realization. _Oh My God…_

Harry turned to Draco to see if he had noticed anything, but the blonde just shrugged and said quietly, "Told you he didn't like him." And then, he excitedly welcomed his friends. 

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

Their visit that morning lasted until it was time for their first class. Draco was released shortly afterwards, once Madame Pomfrey deemed him healthy enough. Everything returned to normal.

Well, as normal as Harry wished to be. Because, for Harry Potter, normality would not have consisted of meaningless oglings at Draco Malfoy, erotic dreams about Draco Malfoy, insane urges to lick Draco Malfoy, and, most of all, it definitely did not include an uncontrollable selfless desire to make Draco Malfoy happy. But, Harry Potter had learned from an early age that life was never what he wished for, all he could do was settle with what he had, and make the best out of it. And so, he did, although not without some intense jealousy towards one particular Ravenclaw, but he was surviving, until Saturday.

Meetings for potions project were resumed once they got Quidditch out of the way. Despite all the boring potion-makings and being struck in stuffy dungeons until well past lunchtime, Harry was quite content to be there, because he hadn't been alone with Draco for a long time, so this meeting was more than appreciated.

He was so absorbed in staring at Draco stir the cauldron with long delicate fingers, that he missed the question from the Slytherin. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked, 'why did you break up with Mandy?'" Draco asked again, slightly annoyed by the distracted Gryffindor.

Harry shrugged. "I don't think I like her as much as I thought I did." Although he had expected Draco to bring her up, he still didn't want to dwell, so he continued, "But I don't want to talk about it."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry's weird response, but he didn't comment. "Fine, if you don't want to talk about you, than we can talk about me." He put his hand on his chest for effect, emphasizing the importance of the matter.

Harry snorted at the childlike gesture, "And what, dear Draco, is so intriguing about you that we have to talk about?"

"I think…" Draco's tone suddenly became serious. He raised his head proudly, looked straight at Harry's eyes, and smiled that heart-stealing smile again. "I think I'm in love."

Harry froze. Even his breathing stopped.

"You don't have to look so shocked." Draco was suddenly reminded of a night not so long ago, and he snorted. "Don't worry, it's not with you."

_Fucking rip my heart out, throw it on the floor, and stomp on it, why don't you?_ Although that was what Harry thought, he managed to pull an embarrassed smile at Draco's painful attempt at cracking a joke."How did you know that you are…well, you know, in love with him? What makes you… so sure?" Harry stuttered with a lowered, shaky voice.

Draco eyed Harry concernedly, wondering why he suddenly sounded breathless, but he mistook his uneasiness as embarrassment. "That morning, in the infirmary." Draco cleared his throat, "That morning after the accident, when I woke up, I had this … this distinct feeling that somebody was there beside me the whole night, holding my hand." He looked down dreamily at his left hand in reminiscence, "And when I opened my eyes, he was… there, holding my hand, …and I just knew."

_FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!_ was Harry's first coherent thought. _It was ME, you stupid fuck!! me!! me!! me!! me!! ME!!_ _NOT him! Not that boring creep! You fucking moronic bastard!_

In a desperate attempt to calm himself, Harry rushed out of the classroom. If he didn't leave as soon as possible, he might just kill Draco with his bare hands right there, and then proceed to sexually assault the shit out of his corpse.

"Where are you going?" Draco jumped from his reverie at the door slamming open.

"Hungry! Food!" It was all Harry could blurt out in strangled voice. 

He dashed through the halls with so much blind fury that he didn't even notice Ron and Hermione addressing him on his way towards the kitchen. 

But, by the time he reached the portrait of the ticklish peach, his rage was beginning to subside, overtaken by a wave of misery. After all, it was his own fault that he left before Draco woke. If only he'd stayed longer… if only…

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby's surprised squeak squashed any thought about 'if only…' out of Harry's mind, and he concentrated on his task of retrieving food for him and Draco. He picked up two huge slices of vanilla cake, _Draco's favorite_, and two cups of hot cocoa, _also Draco's favorite_. But, just as he wanted to levitate their lunch back to the dungeons, he discovered that he had forgotten his wand in the rush. Ever the kind and eagerly helpful house-elf, Dobby offered to transport them for him, and practically begged Harry to await him back in the classroom. 

When Harry was back, he noticed that Terry Boot had showed up. He 'hello'-ed Harry in his usual indifferent manner. A dull ache that Harry had grown used to in the past few days inflated ten-fold in his chest, making it impossible for him to say anything more than a polite 'hi' back.

"Oh, you're back," Draco scanned Harry's empty hands, "I thought you went to get food." 

"Umm, I forgot my wand." As if that explained anything. But, his ineloquence was about as far way from his mind as possible right now.

"Oh, so no food?" Draco didn't wait for Harry's answer before continuing, "That's good, now Terry and I can go out for lunch." It seemed that the Head Boy had noticed Draco's absence from lunch, and came here to check on the blonde and take him out for food. "You don't mind, do you?"

Harry shook his head speechlessly. 

"Thanks." Draco grinned, looping his arm around Terry's. "I'll bring you back something. What do you want?" 

He shook his head again. Biting on his lower lip, Harry didn't dare speak.

The Slytherin shrugged, "Alright, suit yourself. Bye.", and left with Terry.

Not a second later, the ordered food appeared with a 'pop' on a nearby desk. Harry stared at it stiffly for a minute, before he snapped and sprinted forward, grabbing a piece of cake and cramming as much of it as possible into his mouth. His fingers digging into the cake, his mouth, his nose, and even his robes were smeared with cream and crumbs, but he didn't care. The sweet scent of vanilla filled his senses, and he devoured without chewing. He snatched one of the two cups of cocoa and poured it down his throat, flushing down the dry cake. The merciless burning of the hot liquid caused tears to well up in his eyes and cascade down his cheeks endlessly, blurring his vision and steaming his glasses.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

When Harry finally finished stuffing his emptiness with all that food, he was so full he couldn't even move. He spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the Gryffindor common room, apologizing to his mistreated stomach, and begging it to settle down some time before Christmas. But his stomach had had enough of his crap and decided to take revenge. So, at dinner time that night, when the rest of the school was enjoying their meals in the Great Hall, Harry Potter was retching his in the Prefects' Bathroom.

*           *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *            *           

Harry really didn't want to see Draco Malfoy anymore that night. He wanted nothing more than to slump himself into his bed and sleep through the rest of the century. But when the Slytherin passed him a note, asking him to meet in the dungeons that night after his patrolling, Harry couldn't refuse. He just couldn't say no to him. 

Just as he was getting lost on his way to the designated meeting place, a hand from a dark corner grabbed him and dragged him inside a small broom closet. His attempt to scream was muffled by one, no, three hands trying to clap over his mouth at the same time, which only managed to crush his face, and skew his glasses. 

A faint whispered 'lumos' was casted, and under the dim light, Harry could identified his attackers: Draco, Pansy, Vince, and Greg. Draco had both his hands smashed on Harry's face, while Vince had the third. From the position they were standing, Harry guessed that Vince was the one who snatched him, and Greg, holding his wand, whispered the lighting spell. Seeing Harry relaxed, they released him from their grasp. 

"What the hell is going on?" Harry asked while adjusting his glasses.

"Shhh! Not so loud." Draco said quietly, then he smirked at Pansy, "This, Harry, is Draco Malfoy seeking vengeance!"  

"What?" Harry mouthed, still confused. Then he saw Pansy's distressed face, and realization hit. Pansy must have lost a bet to Draco, and now he was revenging on her for bringing Harry to the Slytherin dorms last time! Harry snorted, eager to know what Pansy had to do, he asked, "What does she have to do?"

"Just wait." Draco answered mysteriously.

A few minutes passed, and they were still in the same position, but Harry was getting impatient. "C'mon, just tell me." 

"No. Just wait, be patient." Draco whispered. Another moment of silence, then he suddenly spoke again, "By the way, you weren't at dinner, today."

"No, umm, I wasn't hungry." _Understatement of the month._

"You weren't hungry? But you skipped lunch!"

"Yea,… no,… that's why I wasn't hungry." Harry frowned at himself. _Hello, brain, where the fuck are you?_

Draco opened his month to further question Harry, but was stopped by Greg, "Shh, I think they are coming."

Greg instantly 'nox'-ed his wand, and Draco pushed a reluctant Pansy out into the corridor.

Just around the corner, Blaise arrived running. He shot Harry an annoyed look before quickly squeezing himself inside the closet. Not long after the door was closed, another footstep could be heard approaching. All four boys held their breath, and jammed themselves against the door, peeking at the outside through a narrow slit.

Harry could see clearly Pansy fidgeting, and occasionally glancing at the door. The footsteps were getting nearer and nearer. A dark shadow appeared at the corner, and Pansy took a deep breath. Harry strained his neck towards the direction of the shadow. His eyes widened as he realized who just turned the corner and smirked at the Slytherin girl: Filch.

"Well, well, well, a student out of bed this time of night. And a prefect no less…" Filch hadn't even finished his sentence before the most grotesque, most revolting thing Harry had ever witnessed in his entire life happened.

Pansy jumped Filch! She grabbed the man, who was stunned by the gesture, and smacked her lips right on his. And, as if that wasn't disturbing enough, she was sticking her tongue down his throat! Filch's eyes were wide enough to pop out, and his body was positively shaking. With what, Harry couldn't possibly imagine. _I'm scarred for life…_

Just when Harry was about to retch for the second time that day, Vince swung open the door to the closet, and Draco hopped out with a camera in his hand, and snapped a shot.

And Pansy instantly pushed herself away from the poor caretaker, who, in his wildest dreams, had never thought he'd be sexually harassed by a student. He was still shaking violently.

All the Slytherins were laughing uncontrollably. Well, except Pansy, of course, who was too busy rubbing her mouth with the back of her hand.

And all of a sudden, a dry cough from end of the hall caught everyone's attention. Turning to face the intruder, Harry saw Professor Snape glaring at them, his dark eyes ablaze with anger, yet chilly as ice. They involuntarily shuddered.

A small 'uh oh' emitted from Draco.

"What Is Going On?" Snape's voice hung in the air, stopping everyone's breath, "And why, is Mr. Potter here?"

"Sev!" Draco attempted to lighten the mood by a cheery and familiar greeting.

"Shut up, Draco." Draco immediately froze. "Camera." Snape demanded, and Draco gingerly handed it to him. "Everyone go back to your dorms NOW! I'll deal with you in the morning." Snape's eyes scanned the guilty faces of his students. "Except, Miss Parkinson and Mr. Filch." 

Everyone else scuttled off.

But before Harry could escape from the dungeons, he realized he had lost his prefect's badge. It must have fallen off when the Slytherins grabbed him. He turned back, half expecting Snape had gone already.

As he approached the broom closet once again, Harry heard some weird noises coming from within. He peeked in. He was traumatized, yet again, by what he saw.

Pansy was … was kissing Snape! Obviously voluntarily, since she had her hands tangled in his greasy hair, and Snape had his hands roaming somewhere near Pansy's arse.

A second retching session was inevitable, after all.

 **~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

A/N: Please don't kill me!! There'll be more reciprocation from Draco next chapter, I promise!! I won't let Harry suffer for too long. 

Andrea: Thanks again. Don't worry, definitely happier next chapter.

Review, please!!


	6. AN: not a new chapter

Sorry, not new chapter, just a bit of A/N. I haven't much time lately to do writings, so don't expect the next chapter to be here in a year or so… 

No, seriously, I'm working on it, but I'm having a writer's block. (my muse wants the story to turn angsty…)

So, I want some suggestions. What should I do with Harry and Draco? And Terry? (I know many of you wants me to kill him…) And as for Pansy and Snape, that was really an accident, but hey, it seemed to work… 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed:

**She-Who-Is-Not-To-Be-Psyc**: Hope you liked the outcome of the accident. You were right, the coma, amnesia and paralysis stuff are just too melodramatic for my taste… Thanks for the review and the 'Harrys and Dracos in tights'.

**Vici0usRebL**: I'm happy you like this. I've thought about a Draco's POV too, but that'll involve lots of Terry though… I don't think I can handle that…

**Serenitas**: Thanks for the review. I love the oblivious!Draco, so he'll be here for a while… hehe

**paris**: I'm so happy you like this so much!! Thanks for pointing out my mistakes (I didn't have a beta for the first chapter), I really appreciate that.

**Redmeadow**: Don't worry, I'll get them together soon… soon…

**Ice Lupus**: Thanks. I'm glad you like it.

**shorty**: Actually, when I started this, it wasn't meant to be funny (don't know what went wrong, I'm usually not a very funny person), but I'm glad you find it hilarious. Thanks for the review.

**Lunadeath**: Thanks. I'll try not to let Harry suffer for too long.

**Lanevaly**: Harry's reaction similar to yours, huh? That was exactly what my beta said when she read it… hehe. As for the eating part, I've always thought there's something really depressing about having to eat and cry at the same time, so I just put it in. Thanks for the review.

**SunGoddess**: Here's your name again. Thanks for the review. I don't think this'll be a very long story, definitely less than 20 chapters… I hope. 

**Katherine**: I'm glad you appreciate Draco as much as I do, and I do believe he's the best character in the book. Glad you like the story.

**Anna**: I'm sorry if Terry's pissing you off… he's not meant to be a bad bad man though (but everyone seems to think he is… *sighs*) Thanks for reviewing.

**CrUsHeDvElVeT**: Thanks. And they will get together.

**Guardian of Dreams**: Thank you for the review. I'll try to update asap… 

And thanks to **scully,** **slytherin-cool, Moon Ashes, chlorine, mercyangel, Silvrei, cat, vampire, Amber Wind, girldevil, anybodi****,**… I think that's all…

Oh, and a special thanks to my beta, Andrea. Thank you so so much!!


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